Category: <span>Christianity • Religion</span>

Published March 15, 2026 by

Philippians 2 by Dick Lucas

You can listen to this sermon at The Gospel Coalition.

Pullquote

The murmuring against God was inevitably that murmuring against the leader. And, of course, that will always be so, won’t it? often the murmuring against the pastor is actually murmuring against the God who sent him to you. So this does give some indication, I think, that Paul plucks these two words out of the Old Testament, which is quite common for him to do, and plants them there on the conscience of the Philippians and says you’re not to be like those men in the desert whom God, in the end, killed and refused to allow them to go into the promised land.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Dick Lucas Dick Lucas Sermons

Published March 14, 2026 by

Jonathan Fisher Sermon #3

Title: The first Things

Pullquote

God is not the cause of evil or sin. It is true he is the cause of those beings who are the cause of evil, and by not creating them he had have prevented it. But this does not make him properly the cause of evil, but only a permitter of it: to suppose the Deity to be the absolute cause of evil; that evil takes place, as such, through his immediate influence would be blasphemous. But this we may suppose: namely that any plan, like that of the goal ensures the sum of happiness in the universe, notwithstanding all misery it may produce worthy to be put in execution.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Jonathan Fisher Jonathan Fisher Sermons

Published March 14, 2026 by

1 Timothy 1:1-11 by Dick Lucas

You can listen to this sermon at The Gospel Coalition.

Pullquote

We have much cause for alarm, as well, of course, as for gratitude. The last 40 years have been years of enormous evangelical advance. The last 40 or 50 years have seen a complete change. But the question in my mind is, are those people who have been evangelical ministers and engaged in evangelical ministry, are those churches that have been known as evangelical churches, are they now going to continue as such? That’s the question.

Comment

The Pastorals are a particular favorite with Lucas, and I think it is because his focus is and always has been Evangelical preaching and teaching that provokes Christians to carry the Gospel out into the world.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Dick Lucas Dick Lucas Sermons

Published January 14, 2024 by

Faithfulness: Keep Your Promises

For the Christian, failure to keep a vow or promise or covenant or contract is not merely a moral or ethical issue but a Gospel issue. This notion is on the mind of the apostle Paul when he pivots upon Galatians 3:15 to demonstrate that believers can rest their full weight on the Gospel because it stands upon the promises God made to Abraham — promises that can never be set aside or amended.

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. (Galatians 3:15 ESV)

We live in a culture that rests upon many Biblical values, so even non-Christians expect people to keep their agreements.… Read the rest

Church • Ecclesiology Gospel-Centered Religion

Published May 1, 2021 by

Jesus Is Not Enough

The Pleasures of God

Some of the most heartbreaking episodes in my Christian experience have been encountering friends who have become disillusioned with the Gospel, defeated in their spiritual life, or disappointed with the church — they concluded, “Jesus really isn’t enough for me.” They don’t ever say that, of course — various reasons or rationalizations might be articulated, but no matter the story, the bottom line is Jesus wasn’t enough to sustain them in the Christian life. Having passed through a particularly difficult event like a church split, physical hardship, betrayal, a devastating personal failure, or an overwhelming test of obedience, these once enthusiastic followers of Jesus are left joyless, crushed, and hopeless. … Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Gospel-Centered

Faith Gospel Jesus John Piper Unbelief

Published January 1, 2021 by

A New Year and Another Theological Thing: Universalism

Daffodils Keep Coming Back

It’s a thing. It’s a perennial. It’s a recurring fascination. Like Daffodils springing up along our local highways in February, some Evangelical somewhere escapes the bonds of fundamentalism, gains new insights and clarity concerning what Jesus and the New Testament actually taught about this or that long-held, cherished doctrine or confession. Then, rather than move along down the road to enlightenment and into their newfound freedom from a dark, dank doctrinal prison, these initiates feel compelled to set the rest of us straight and usher Christ’s church into the hidden knowledge that will set the captives free from dogmatism (such a shame, too, because as Dorothy Sayers once observed The dogma is the drama).… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Gospel-Centered Leadership Religion

Published April 11, 2020 by

Family, Finances, and the Faith: Nepotism In The Church

Let’s face it, Jesus says some hard things. One of the most offensive statements in the Gospels is this winnowing word about families and disciples or followers of Jesus:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26 ESV)

First, what is Jesus not saying? He isn’t barring or shutting anyone out of the Kingdom. Rather, He’s speaking the language of common sense along the same lines as this statement:

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Leadership Planting

Published March 11, 2017 by

Is There Hope For A Zombie Church?

Is there hope for a zombie church? The short answer is a resounding YES!

Look at these lavish promises Jesus holds out to churches He said were dead and/or in the process of dying — zombie churches:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7 ESV)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Gospel-Centered Leadership Missional Communities Planting

Published February 26, 2017 by

An Afternoon With Massey Shepherd

A long time ago — it seems like a couple lifetimes — anyway, a long time ago I spent a good part of the day with Massey Shepherd in the living room of his home down near Land Park in Sacramento. He had just moved there after retiring from The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, his wife had passed away, and his daughter wanted to have him nearer to family. Denise drove me down with the kids in our 1967 Chevy Bel Air, dropped me off at the house, and was off to do some shopping. I found him sorting and shelving hundreds and hundreds of books — he was tired and told me he appreciated the opportunity to take a break.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology

Published January 19, 2017 by

Unpack Forgiveness As God In Christ Forgave You

Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds by Chris Brauns

Let me begin my post about this book with one of the endorsements from the back cover:

Offenses will come. It’s a given. Unpacking Forgiveness wisely prepares us for the aftermath. Grieving the loss of our six children in a van accident and then being reminded of that loss throughout thirteen years of subsequent battles forced us to search the Scriptures concerning the issue of forgiveness. Chris not only has confirmed answers that we had found but has thoroughly sorted out what it takes to be right with God and man.

… Read the rest

Books • Literature Christianity • Religion Gospel-Centered

Published December 16, 2016 by

Devotion To The Apostles’ Teaching

This is the first discipline I wanted to examine as part of my series in the Spiritual Disciplines: devotion to the Apostles’ teaching. In the last installment, we looked at the purpose of the disciplines and now that we’ve laid a foundation we can look at each one individually beginning with the corporate disciplines — those things Christians do together.  These will be brief descriptions with links to more in-depth treatments or discussions. In choosing a place to focus on corporate disciplines, I landed on Acts 2:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Religion

Published December 15, 2016 by

Why Spiritual Disciplines? What Is Their Purpose or Objective?

In my last post, I narrowed down the Spiritual Disciplines to focus on the few that are most common across traditions and over the centuries. They are:

  1. Spiritual Disciplines within the Community
    1. Devotion to the Apostles’ Teaching
    2. The Breaking of Bread
    3. The Fellowship
    4. The Prayers
  2. Spiritual Disciplines in the Home
    1. Study or Bible intake
    2. Meditation on the Word
    3. Silence and Solitude
    4. Prayer
    5. Fasting

But, before we consider them individually, we should look at the purpose or objective of these disciplines. After all, if we are saved by grace through faith, how can we hope to improve upon the relationship we have with God in Christ?… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion

Published December 3, 2016 by

But, I Thought You Were A Christian!

fraudI was walking out of a function at a local church the other day and speaking with a self-employed brother in the trades.* He was on his way to a job and somehow got on the subject of financial dealings with fellow Christians.

He related how he had responded to a plumbing emergency at the home of a church member over a weekend and the person neglected to pay him for his services after being billed more than once (straight time and materials — no premium for after hours or emergency). A few months later, that same person called and asked if he could come over and do some more work.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion

Published November 29, 2016 by

What Are Spiritual Disciplines?

I recently introduced this series of posts on the Spiritual Disciplines and we’ll begin with a couple of definitions. I’ll follow-up with my own observations and insights — then we’ll move on to identify the disciplines themselves.

Donald S. Whitney in his modern classic, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, writes:

The Spiritual Disciplines are those personal and corporate disciplines that promote spiritual growth. They are the habits of devotion and experiential Christianity that have been practiced by the people of God since biblical times.

John Piper calls the Spiritual Disciplines “grace-empowered habits, and Spirit-empowered disciplines.” Piper’s careful wording is so helpful here if we are to avoid blurring the Biblical doctrine of  justification with the ongoing process of sanctification.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Gospel-Centered

Published November 17, 2016 by

Spiritual Disciplines

I received an invitation to speak at a men’s retreat on the topic of the spiritual disciplines, though it has been a while since I read Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline and don’t consider myself an authority on the subject by any stretch. It was also decided that I would present Richard Baxter as a case study from my book, Good Mr. Baxter.  History remembers Baxter first as a devotional author on the spiritual disciplines, as well as one of the most fruitful and devoted pastors of all time.

The next few posts will feature some of my notes on the various disciplines, along with links to other helpful resources and what I hope to be some helpful insights and tips.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Gospel-Centered Leadership Planting Religion

Baxter holiness spiritual disciplines

Published September 23, 2016 by

Pastor or deacon: Are You Just Ordinary?

91dmb9o48clI had the opportunity to attend the Andrew Fuller Conference at Southern Seminary this past week. On my flight home, I read a book I’ve been looking forward to for years — D.A. Carson’s Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson.

I was first drawn to this book through a couple of podcasts and/or interviews of Dr. Carson when it came out. The book recounts the rather ordinary, yet significant life of his father Tom, a Baptist pastor ((The New Testament uses the terms <em>elder</em>, <em>pastor/shepherd</em>, <em>overseer/bishop </em> interchangeably. This NT vocabulary serves to illustrate or emphasize the character and functions of the leader(s) in local Christian communities.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Books • Literature Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Leadership Planting

Published September 10, 2016 by

Eight Women of Faith by Michael A. G. Haykin

haykinBack in June of this year, Nancy Guthrie messaged to tell me that she was reading a review copy of a forthcoming book and I was quoted in it! Well, that was exciting news. I wrote Good Mr. Baxter about 25 years ago and it has remained in obscurity for the most part. I was just happy to see that someone read it and found something of value. You can find my semi-immortal words on page 49 of Dr. Michael Haykin‘s Eight Women of Faith!

This is my mini-review of his biographical sketches of eight historically significant Evangelical women, in one volume.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Books • Literature Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Religion Richard Baxter

Published September 6, 2016 by

Don’t Abuse Your 501 (c) (3)

501c3-300x246Over the past few years, I’ve learned a little bit about Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS tax code: the tax-exempt status for religious and other charitable organizations. I began blogging about these matters in a previous post Family, Finances, and the Faith: Nepotism In The Church. By the way, I’m still learning so please point out any errors in this post in the comments below and I’ll thank you in advance.

If we survey history objectively, we have to admit that the Church in the United States enjoys a privileged relationship with the government compared to many other nations — tax exemptions on property and financial assets are not a Constitutional right (those are guaranteed to individuals) but a blessing bestowed by a government that was formed out of the nightmare of state-run, coercive churches that suppressed religious freedom.… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Leadership Planting

Published September 4, 2016 by

The Paradox of Chronic Pain

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with a friend, who lives in constant pain from a degenerative back ailment. We were discussing how often God blesses us through our fallen, broken, mortal bodies. If Jeremy Linneman is correct, 40 percent of Americans suffer from chronic pain. I’m one of them. Here’s why suffering can be a gift from The Paradox of Chronic Pain:

It is a constant and demanding journey; it is supremely complex and often seemingly meaningless; and there is no cure for the hardship or hope for restoration in this world itself. Chronic pain, like every type of suffering, is a form of brokenness that drives us to Christ.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion

Published September 1, 2016 by

Autopsy of A Deceased Church

autopsy-of-a-deceased-church-12-ways-to-keep-yours-alive_2525018From Thom Rainer’s book, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, the author lists some tell-tale signs to alert us that our church is in trouble. Here are the most telling, in my opinion:

  • “The church refused to look like the community. The community began a transition toward a lower socioeconomic class thirty years ago, but the church members had no desire to reach the new residents. The congregation thus became an island of middle-class members in a sea of lower-class residents.”
  • “There was no attempt to reach the community.”
  • “More and more emphasis was placed on the past.”
  • “The percentage of the budget for members’ needs kept increasing.
… Read the rest

Books • Literature Christianity • Religion Church • Ecclesiology Gospel-Centered Leadership Missional Communities Planting

Published June 25, 2016 by

What’s Best Next? How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

WBNPermanI suppose it’s fitting I write a review of Matt Perman’s book What’s Best Next (WBN) toward the end of a day that I’ve spent piddling,  getting very little done, on the way to working myself up to settle down to watch a movie.

My cousin Nancy pointed me to What’s Best Next, while discussing our recent retirements. For Type A personalities or those of us who obsess over how much time we’re wasting, our first impulse is to prioritize and jump right into finding more time.  That’s universal and, if you don’t believe me, just scroll through the thousands of productivity products and strategies on the web.… Read the rest

Books • Literature Gospel-Centered Leadership Religion

church leadership Gospel Gospel-Centered

Published June 2, 2016 by

WWGRD? The How and Why of Working

I’ve been struggling over the past year and a half, trying to get a routine down — to optimize my time and get some real work done. I am essentially self-employed now, even if I’m not earning a living by my efforts. Nearly forty years with the US Postal Service and twenty-four years as a bi-vocational pastor kept me working and focused, so there was an imposed structure to my day with objectives and goals to meet, as well as work to be done. Now, I have to plan  my own workday, thankful that years of working for the USPS, Denise’s years of contracting and employment,  the generosity of others, and personal planning have provided the financial foundation for labors of love that don’t necessarily pay.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Christianity • Religion Leadership

Published March 30, 2016 by

Back To The Blog

Well, it’s been over a month since my last post. A few things have conspired to keep me away from writing.

First, a friend of the family was hit by necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating bacteria. It’s so rare, I never thought I would know someone, personally, who would be stalked by this deadly foe. He is a young man, received a timely bit of advice from his pharmacist and a quick diagnosis by his first surgeon and, then, he was off to an excellent hospital. He’s come through with flying colors. Today, he just learned that his grafts had taken very well and he’ll be going home Friday, after a month in the hospital.… Read the rest

Art • Design • Culture Baha'i Necrotizing Fasciitis

Published January 8, 2016 by

The Baha’i Faith: An Introduction for Christian Readers

Picture_of_Abdul-BahaYesterday, I began in earnest to bring my latest writing and publishing project to life. I created an outline and plan for a book titled The Baha’i Faith: An Introduction  for Christian Readers. Why an introduction to the Baha’i faith, you ask? Because there still aren’t nearly enough resources out there for popular consumption on the subject, since I first encountered the Baha’i faith back in the 80s. Sources tend to be partisan and there is very little dialogue between opposing groups, who share an interest in the Baha’i faith and its roots in Babism, Sufism, Twelver Shi’ism, and Islam. Of course, Baha’is will accuse me of being so biased, that I can’t possibly add anything helpful to the discussion.… Read the rest

Baha'i Books • Literature

Abdu'l-Baha Babi Baha'i Baha'u'llah Islam Shi'i Shoghi Effendi Sufi

Published December 31, 2015 by

New Year Resolution

As I sat down to make resolutions for 2016, I remembered this sobering quote by John Goldingay from the book, I (Still) Believe: Leading Bible Scholars Share Their Stories of Faith and Scholarship. He reminds me that I’m seeking a “better country,” beyond 2016 and this life.

Here it is and it’s not for the squeamish:

Americans like to believe in legacies; I expect to be forgotten, in fulfillment of Ecclesiastes’ warning. I know that individual students gain from classes I teach and from books that I write… but in general my work makes no significant contribution to the life of the church or to the purposes of God in the world.

… Read the rest

Christianity • Religion Film